Many portable electronic hand held devices provide individuals with the convenience of a touch screen that can display particular icons that, when pressed, can facilitate execution of different functions or programs of the electronic device. The individual, however, must look at the touch screen each time an icon is to be pressed to see where to touch the touch screen. In many instances it would be desirable for the individual to be able to feel where the icons are on the screen so that the individual can look at other things besides the screen. Thus, an electronic device having a tactile portion that adheres to the touch screen, wherein the tactile portion acts as a non-visual reference point or cue to the various icons or areas on the touch screen, is desirable. It would also be beneficial to be able to modify or customize touch screens to provide tactile feel and reference points.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures show the general manner of construction. Descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques can be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring a touch screen overlay and method. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures can be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of the various exemplary embodiments of the touch screen overlay. When used, the same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that ordinal terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the exemplary embodiments of the touch screen overlay and method described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those shown or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “contain,” “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, device or apparatus.
The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “side,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that positional terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of a touch screen overlay and method described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those shown or otherwise described herein. The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectly connected in a physical, mechanical, electrical, magnetic, chemical, or other manner.